At a glance, the Charlotte Hornets don’t appear to be part of the Eastern Conference playoff picture in 2025-26. Even in its diminished state, it will likely take at least 40 wins to clinch a Play-In Tournament berth. That number would be more than double the total (19) the Hornets produced last year.
But rest assured, Charlotte isn’t as surefire a bet to tank after the All-Star Break as teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards. In fact, they aren’t too dissimilar from the 2024-25 Detroit Pistons, which won 30 more games (44) than they did the season before (14).
How The Hornets Are Following The Pistons’ Blueprint
Every year, we see one team come out of nowhere to greatly exceed their preseason expectations. Last year, the Pistons did this by surrounding their young star floor general (Cade Cunningham) with impactful veterans (Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley and Simone Fontecchio) to make like easier on him while simultaneously giving their other developing players credible role models to emulate.
For the Hornets, that blossoming talent is LaMelo Ball, who, at just 23 years young, already has an All-Star berth and four seasons averaging at least 20 points and seven assists under his belt. Now, injuries and questionable shot selection/defensive effort have plagued Ball in the early part of his career. But one could argue he has an even higher ceiling than Cunningham because he’s a better playmaker and outside shooter. He just hasn’t had a healthy enough ecosystem around him to truly thrive — until now…
Adults In The Room
This offseason, the Hornets brought in Collin Sexton, Spencer Dinwiddie, Pat Connaughton and Mason Plumlee (the last of whom is taking a second tour of duty in Charlotte). Those four compose four of the six oldest players on the roster. Along with their invaluable wisdom from a combined four decades in the league, all of them can do something on the court to help the Hornets win basketball games.
Sexton is my favorite addition of this bunch. He’s one of the most underrated offensive players in the league, and his blend of speed and shooting (career 38.7 percent from three) makes him an ideal partner to share the court with Ball or keep the ship sailing when Ball is on the bench. The Hornets were 9.5 points worse per 100 possessions when Ball was off the floor last year, per Cleaning the Glass.
This version of Dinwiddie isn’t as good of an offensive player as Sexton, but he’s still someone you can trust to stir the drink offensively (91st percentile Passer Rating), making him another useful option whenever Ball is resting.
Connaughton fell out of the Milwaukee Bucks’ rotation in his final season with the team. But that was a team trying to make a deep playoff run, not one just trying to learn how to win like the Hornets should be next year. Connaughton could be what Hardaway was to the Pistons last year as a player who uses his physicality, spacing (career 35.6 percent from three) and fearlessness to help bring some steadiness to what was once a funky roster.
Like Connaughton, Plumlee wasn’t a good player in 2024-25. But he is still a good passer (86th percentile Passer Rating) and rim runner (79th percentile roll man efficiency, per NBA.com). At the very least, he can offer some useful spot minutes at the Hornets’ weakest position.
Grant Williams was on the team last year, but he kind of counts as an addition because he missed most of the season (66 games) after tearing his ACL. Williams is an acquired taste (see his harsh breakups with the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks) yet seems to really be loving the idea of playing for his hometown team. Plus, his size, strength and shooting (career 37.7 percent from three) give the Hornets someone they can trust to not kill them on either side of the ball and a credible small-ball five option.*
*Josh Green was also on the team last year. And despite being part of Charlotte’s horrid campaign, he touts the length and athleticism to be a two-way wing on a competitive team.
Youth Movement
Outside of Ball, who very well could have a career year surrounded by more proven players, the Hornets have a handful of youngsters who could take their game to the next level in 2025-26.
Brandon Miller missed 55 games last year, but his blend of size (6 feet 9 inches with a 6-foot-11 wingspan), skill and shooting (career 36.6 percent from three) makes him one of the league’s more tantalizing players under 25 years old.
Kon Knueppel will only be a rookie, but very, very smart people call him one of the most NBA-ready players in his class. Tidjane Salaün struggled mightily in year one, but he’s still just 20 years old. Tre Mann seemed to finally be hitting his stride as a pro before injury limited him to just 13 games in 2024-25. Moussa Diabete’s emergence as a backup center was among the lone bright spots in Charlotte’s lost season. Liam McNeeley and Ryan Kalkbrenner are two other intriguing rookies.
Kon Knueppel played an essential role for Duke, shouldering significant shot-creation duties while spacing the floor and holding his own defensively. He’s an outstanding passer, especially out of pick and roll, with a unique combination of competitiveness, feel and versatility. pic.twitter.com/Z5R7Mg1kye
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 16, 2025
You may be sensing a theme of injuries from this piece. That’s because the Hornets’ 2024-25 season was plagued by them. Last year, they experienced the second-most games lost due to injury (409, per Spotrac). Take away everything else we just talked about. If just that number regresses closer to the mean, you can add a handful of wins to Charlotte’s total.
This isn’t me planting my Hornets flag atop the hill and screaming, “They’re definitely going to make the playoffs next year!” I still view them as the third-worst team in the Eastern Conference. But I certainly see a world where, if they stay healthy and fully realize the potential this roster has, the Hornets are a respectable team in 2025-26.
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